Smooth Criminal
by Eclipse1234
Summary: The story of Roman Torchwick through his ascent. From simple heir, to criminal mastermind, and beyond. AU featuring a side character-centric narrative, complete with backstory. Starts before canon in Mountain Glenn. WIP


Chapter One.

Arrival

(Begin Chapter)

Roman Argent stepped off the gangplank, breathing in the crisp mountain air as the airship powered down behind him. It had been quite a while since he had the opportunity to journey outside of the city. He cast his gaze outwards, surveying the bustling industry of the port before him. It was a historic time for the kingdom of Vale, their first expansion into the territories of the Grimm. Mountain Glenn was a joint effort between the Vale government, the Schnee Dust Company, and of course … the Argent Security Group.

"Boy! Do you intend to continue just standing there for the rest of the day?"

Roman exhaled heavily, the flicker of contentment he had in the company's success extinguished.

"Coming, _sir_." He muttered under his breath, following after his father. 18 years old, and he was still relegated to 'boy.'

Jack Argent was already far ahead, his ever present staff occasionally swatting an unfortunate bystander out of his way. Behind him trailed his ever present entourage, consisting of servants, advisors, and of course, bodyguards.

Roman watched in apathy as one civilian who was carrying a heavy sack over his shoulder received a cane to the ribs for the crime of being in his father's way.

The heavily built man stumbled, his bag falling and spilling flour everywhere. He turned angrily, a scowl on his face and a swear on his lips.

"Hey, what the fu-!"

Jack Argent didn't even deign to address him, simply making a gesture. His bodyguards, all decked out in the signature black and orange armor of the ASG, set upon the unfortunate man.

Roman turned away. It wasn't that he was squeamish, that was impossible for someone raised by what the tabloids called "The Dictator of Vale." He understood that shows of power were needed to cow the people. The Argent family motto wasn't "Strength Above All" for nothing. But he had always had a problem for his father's brand of ruthless brutality. It had always led to disagreements between father and son, and their relationship was … distant, to put it mildly.

Roman preferred to do things the elegant way. Speak softly, and carry a big stick, as it were. His father's ideology was more "Hit them with the big stick, then yell loudly at them."

"Boy! I'm not going to ask you again." Jack's booming voice rang out from down the street.

' _Case in point._ '

Roman sighed and picked up his pace.

(Scene Break)

' _I really should have brought earplugs.'_

They had arrived in the city's town hall not long after their arrival, and immediately been ushered to a meeting room, where the president of the Schnee Dust Corp. was already seated.

His father had immediately launched into an eardrum bursting tirade, his form towering over the smaller white haired man.

The differences between the two were startling and to an outsider Roman knew that it would seem like his father was a bully, while the Schnee was the victim.

But he wasn't fooled. Behind his comparatively slight form and calm façade, Roman knew that President Schnee was every bit as immoral and dangerous as his father. He simply hid it better.

Roman considered the parallels between them as their argument continued to escalate.

Jack Argent was a mountain of a man with arms that looked like they could snap you in two like a toothpick. Dressed in an imposing mix of plate armor and mesh covered in a long overcoat, he exuded menace. He was the kind of man who you definitely did not want to cross. His signature staff, although maybe pillar was a better way to describe it, was slung behind his back. Roman caught his father's hands twitching towards it every so often.

In contrast, Nicholas Schnee was dressed in an immaculate white suit, with perfected coiffed hair. Not exactly the image of a killer. And yet, hundreds, if not thousands of Faunus perished in his mines every year and this man did not bat an eye. Cold, calculating, this man would order your death without a second thought.

In fact, the two companies echoed their directors quite well.

The SDC had their bribery to obtain mining permits and criminally underpaid their Faunus workforce, and in doing so were able to produce dust at a far lower cost than competitors. Destroying their competition, they continued to grow by overtaking every other company in their path.

The ASG sold protection contracts, and any who did not hire them found their shipments unerringly under attack by elite teams of professionals. ASG ran both sides of the operation by creating problems and selling solutions, ensuring two streams of revenue.

But of the two, Roman still had to side with his father. At least with him, you knew where you stood. And surprisingly, Jack Argent was an advocate for Faunus equality.

He still remembered that lesson vividly. "A man shot in the head is just as dead whether the one holding the gun is human or faunus. They do the same work, so they get the same pay. You met out both rewards and punishment equally among the masses. Makes it so there is less of a cause for a particular group rally behind."

It was noble, in a twisted sort of way. And it showed that for all of his father's reliance on physical strength, he was not lacking in strength derived from intelligence either.

"Your flimsy guns might as well be peashooters for all the good they do to hold the Grimm back! I need more of my men stationed here, or mark my words; we will be overrun within the week!"

…Although President Schnee seemed to have the unique ability to render his father a raging lunatic.

Roman hid his wince. His father looked like he was just barely restraining himself from throttling the complacent man before him.

But Jack might as well have been directing his fury at the face of a glacier, for all the good it did.

"The Schnee automated defense system is our ground-breaking advancement in auto dust-cannon technology. Need I remind you that the decision has already been made by your own Vale council, Director Argent? There is nothing more to talk about." Nicholas Schnee's calm demeanor did nothing to assuage Jack's anger. In fact, it seemed to stoke it even further.

Roman debated whether he could evade the fallout by prematurely exiting the meeting, or if that would only cause Mount Jack from erupting even faster.

President Schnee took the decision out of his hands.

"I have other business to attend to back in Atlas. Feel free to survey the borders yourself, if you wish. If anything, I am glad that the council finally came to their senses."

The white haired man stood up and strode towards the door, his secretary scurrying after him. Roman shuffled slightly away from the shaking form of his father.

Schnee turned his head back, a slight smirk the first display of emotion shown.

"And I would be careful, if I were you. Our developments in the robotic security force division will soon send you and your gorilla brutes back to the Stone Age where you belong."

With an echoing click, the door slid closed behind him. The room was silent for a tense second, and Roman steeled himself.

 **Boom!**

With a bellowing roar, his father slammed a fist into the meeting table, and it obligingly was immediately rendered into kindling.

Roman absentmindedly stepped out of the way of the flying splinters as his father proceeded to demolish the room's furnishings. He exited the room, knowing that at this point there was nothing more to do other than wait till the storm had passed.

(Scene Break)

Roman strode out, catching sight of the city's skyline though a window from the corner of his eye.

It really was a marvel, how fast Mountain Glenn had been built. To think, just a scant few months ago this entire area had been swarming with Grimm. It was the ASG that had been contracted to clear out the droves of monsters, cutting them down like wheat in a field.

Roman himself had been a part of that force, adding hundreds of kills to his name. For that, he was grateful for the harsh training that his father had subjected him to his entire life. He hadn't inherited the Argent strength or body frame, but he did have the advantage of their combat teachings, distilled and refined through generations of endless fighting.

Roman turned, looking past his own reflection at the city. It was night now, and Mountain Glenn was glowing with lights from thousands of families' windows. The view of the city was actually slightly unsettling to witness. Where it was once teeming with creatures of the void, there were now civilians going about their everyday life. Unaware that their very lives rested on what was once a force of a three hundred ASG marines, now reduced to a paltry one hundred. Replaced by dust, circuits, and cameras.

His wandering took him to the lobby, where he ran into a departing Nicholas.

Putting his diplomacy lessons to use, he pasted a cordial smile and strode forward to holding the door open.

"Hello, Mr. Schnee. Please, let me offer my apologies for father's temper. I'm afraid these last few days have been difficult for him. The news from Vale's council on our reduced funding caught him off balance."

The older man nodded to him.

"Yes, quite. It will be a pleasant day indeed when you take the reins of the Argent Security Group from your father."

President Schnee was inscrutable, as always. But Roman could read the subtext. 'You are younger, inexperienced. You will be more easily manipulated.'

Roman only offered another smile as he fell into step beside him. "Thank you. I am looking forward to it. And what of the SDC, if I may ask? How has Winter been doing? The last time I saw her must have been at the annual charity ball in Mistrel."

A slight frown slipped past the man's mask at the mention of his daughter. Roman's eyebrows rose. For a Schnee, that was akin to yelling curses.

"Still in the army, playing soldier." Nothing else was offered.

Roman winced internally. 'Playing _soldier? Ouch._ '

"And what of your youngest? How is Miss Weiss?"

Nicholas gave a small noncommittal gesture. Not a shrug, because Schnees did not do such an uncouth thing as shrugging.

"She is learning. Time will tell whether she will be able to live up to the family name."

' _Wow. Between him and my father, we have real contenders for the Father of the Year awards._ '

Of course, Roman did not give voice to his thoughts.

They continued to trade meager small talk until they had reached the Schnee's limo, where they parted ways.

Roman blew the hair out of his eyes and prepared to make the trek back to the town hall.

' _Hope it's still standing by the time I get there.'_

(End Chapter)

AN: None


End file.
